Rain
by Danbamina
Summary: Elena Trevelyan is hot. It is so hot. Luckily, Fabien wants to take her down to the port for some fresh, sea air. I am so bad at summaries. I apologize. Companion story/prequel(kind of) to Lyrium Dreams. OC/OC


_Rain_

Elena stared sullenly out her window at the dark clouds gathering in the sky above Ostwick. They were due for some rain. It would be nice to finally have the summer heat knocked down to a more manageable level. Then she would be allowed to leave the house. Mother always fussed about Elena "over heating" in the summer. As if Erik and Adrian wouldn't "over heat" as well but they were allowed to roam about the city actually doing things. She glared down at the needlepoint in her lap and tossed it aside. In the months since she had been forced to start it she had only managed to complete one outline of one leaf. It was stupid of her parents to think that by handing her a sampler and a basket of wool she would magically become interested in the feminine arts. She was brought from her brooding by a sharp _tack_ on her window. She blinked and looked out, searching for a source of the noise. Another _tack_ turned her gaze downwards. Fabien stood below in the stable-yard motioning for her to open her window with a broad grin stretched across his strongly angled face.

Elena pushed one half of her leaded glass window open and leaned out, "What do you want?"

Fabien's smile faded into a mischievous grin, "Come on down here and find out."

"No."

"Awww, Lane, why not?" Fabien whined, coming to stand below her window and pressing his hands against the stone of the wall.

"I'm supposed to stay inside on hot days, remember?"

Fabien rolled his eyes and started to scale the wall. It was easy for him. He'd done it plenty of times before. "Well, we both know that's a load of bullshit." He grunted as he latched onto her window ledge. Elena stepped to the side as he hoisted himself through the opening. He rested with his back against the window frame, one half of his body inside and the other dangling outside still. "What's your excuse now?"

Elena crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, "I'm not supposed to have boys in my room unchaperoned."

"It's a good thing I'm not in your room then." Elena looked at him over her shoulder, "Technically, I'm in the window." He smiled broadly at her, proud of his cleverness. Elena rolled her eyes, "Come on, Lane. You know I've found a great loophole here! Don't you want to know why I came over?"

"It's your day off and you want me to get in trouble with you?"

"Nope! It's not my day off at all!" He hooked a thumb at himself, "This guy snuck himself out of the Circle! Come have fun with me at the port."

"You're the _worst_ Templar." Fabien wordlessly held out his hand. She sighed and placed her hand in his, letting him pull her against his chest. "What do you want to do in the port today?" She queried breathing in the smell of crushed pine that always lingered about his person. It was a woodsy smell that only he possessed. She always wondered how he smelled like that when there weren't any pine trees near the Circle or even the main portion of Ostwick. Maybe it was ingrained in his skin from his time training in Ferelden. Whatever it was, it was a smell that would forever be linked in her mind to his personage.

Fabien let her go, twisting himself to where his upper body was inside but his lower half was dangling from the window as he sought out his usual footholds, "Oh, you know, the usual. I thought it might be fun to tip that crate of indigo dye your father's been waiting on to add to your dowry into the water." He let himself fully out and a few seconds later Elena heard his feet hit the ground.

"Since when is Father adding trade goods into my dowry?" She huffed, leaning out again to look down at him. He looked up at her, hands on his hips, the very picture of impatience. "And since _when_ did you care about my dowry?"

Fabien shook his head, "Hurry up. I only had so much money to bribe the stable hand with, you know." Elena grimaced, "I'll tell you when you get down here." He said slowly coming to stand just beneath her.

"I'm coming down the fast way then." She said as she popped herself over the ledge and fell abruptly into his arms. Ever faithful, Fabien caught her, spinning slightly to maintain his balance. Elena shifted, trying to free herself from his grasp, but he briefly tightened his arms, holding her closer. She glanced at him to see his forest green eyes had gone soft and liquid again. She felt everything with intense clarity. The searing heat of the sun beating down on them felt almost cool compared to the spots where his bare forearms touched her own skin. He swallowed in an almost nervous way as he leaned his head closer to hers, "What?" She asked, breaking the weighted silence that had sprung up between them. Fabien straightened and set her down, pointedly stepping and looking away from her.

"Nothing. Let's get going." He walked off, neglecting to answer her early questions about dowries.

XXXXX

The port was not as exciting in the heat of the day as Elena had thought it would be. Most of the merchants and workers had taken refuge inside shops or taverns, waiting out the blazing sun. They walked along in relative isolation. Fabien chattered about the woes of Circle life and how he longed to be better than he was. Elena pointed out that shirking his duties to run off and play at the port with her was kind of a waste of his time in this effort.

Fabien stopped and looked at her seriously. "Elena, spending time with you is _not_ a waste of my time." He said it simply, leaving no room for argument. And then he was off doing cart-wheels down the street, peeking into windows and pulling grotesque faces at those who happened to notice him. He would then scamper away, Elena following in his wake, before anyone could manage to get outside to scold him or send him back to the Circle where he belonged. Elena envied his free spirited antics, giggling as they hid from one particularly upset elderly lady with a cane.

At length, they rounded the corner to where Bann Trevelyan kept his special merchant ships docked. The place was visibly deserted. A few scraps of paper and assorted debris blew by in the dusty sea-breeze, making doleful scraping sounds as they bumped along the flagstones and boards beneath their feet. The only ship in dock was the _Divine's Justice_, Elena knew this was her family's most profitable ship and was piloted by the best crew they could find. The people onboard it rarely changed and knew every person in House Trevelyan by sight right down to Isolde who rarely left the main house and her duties therein. She stood before the bow of the great ship with uneasy dread pooling in her stomach.

Fabien slapped her shoulder, sending her forward a couple of steps, "How about that dye, yeah?" He chirped, jogging forward and up the lowered gangplank. "Honestly, it's like they don't even want me to _have _to try." He called to her as he came to a stop on-deck. "Are you coming, or are you afraid of your parents?"

Elena shook her head, moving up the gangplank towards him, "Never. What can they do? Lock me in my room forever? I'll climb down from the window."

Fabien stopped and stared at her, "What if they put you in a room with no window?"

Elena shrugged, "You'll work with Erik to free me." When Fabien looked uncertain about this she added, "… won't you?" The thought that her Templar friend would abandon her so easily rather stung.

He shook himself and took her hand, going down on one knee dramatically, "Elena Trevelyan, I pledge myself to you for all time. I am yours if you will have me."

Elena chuckled, "I'll have you, all right. I'll have you clapped in irons for trespassing on my family's ship!" She took her hand away from his grasp.

Fabien stood and shook a finger at her, moving backwards towards the hold, "Ah, but is it trespassing if _you're_ with me?" Elena had to admit he had her there. She chose not to respond and followed him obediently down into the depths of the ship's hold, noting the triumphant spring in his step at having found a plausible loophole in his never-ending attempts to wreak havoc on the upper class of Ostwick. After some digging, he managed to locate the crate he was looking for. Inside of it, nestled amongst straw, lay a large oiled canvas bag tied with an indigo-dyed rope. Elena helped him hoist it out and was surprised by the weight of what was essentially a bunch of colored dirt. They worked together to get it up the stairs and to the edge of the ship, resting it on the gunnel. Fabien jerked a knife from his belt and held it hilt first out to her.

"I don't know about this… indigo isn't really the cheapest dye there is and this is a _lot_ of it. What if they find out it was us?" Elena hedged, taking the knife from him lest he decided to just go on and do it himself.

Fabien rolled his eyes, "Have I _ever_ let us get caught?"

"Only a dozen times."

"No! Those were accidents. We're much faster now." He winked at her, "It comes down to this, Lane. With the addition of this dye to your dowry you will have all manner of new suitors to come calling." He toyed with the string on the bag, "Most likely they will all be old and lifeless, looking for a way to quickly bolster their coffers and care nothing about _you_." Elena shuddered, thinking of marriage to an elderly man— what it would be like to be young and forced into his service. "Whereas, if we say… cut this bag open and let the contents fall into the sea, we will ensure you at least another year free from the yoke of a disgusting old husband."

"Who told you this is for my dowry?" Elena questioned further, searching his open face for any hint of duplicity.

"Erik did."

Elena sighed, shifting her gaze from his honest face out to the horizon where she could see storm clouds gathering. "Father and Mother have been trying for years to arrange an advantageous marriage for me…"

"Have you so much as generally _liked_ anyone they've presented you with?" Fabien let the question slip from his lips so quietly that it was hardly more than a whisper.

Elena locked her eyes onto his. "No." She plunged the knife into the bag and ripped it towards her. The oiled canvas gave way like butter beneath Fabien's razor-sharp blade. The indigo dye spilled out from the gaping hole in a giant plume of falling powder, streaking the side of the ship with its pure color as it was blown outwards in a great puff to settle on the waiting surface of the sea. Fabien let the top of the bag go as the dye finished trickling out of it. The bag slid down to the water, landing with an audible _flop_. "Oh, sweet Maker, what have I done?"

Fabien grabbed her by the shoulders, "You have taken control of your own destiny. Don't forget it." Thunder rumbled behind them. The sea-breeze picked up. Someone shouted out from below them about the water being purple, how it must be a portent of evil. They both laughed and ran from the ship. They could hear feet pounding down to the waterside, cries of outrage from the crew as they discovered their ruined cargo, but already Elena and Fabien were whipping out of sight around a corner. The first drops of rain splattering against their faces as they raced onwards towards the main city again.

XXXXX

Elena skidded into the stable yard's gateway, her hair was soaked, sticking to her face in curly tendrils. She was breathing heavily as Fabien came to a halt in front of her, his hands slamming against the gate frame to keep himself from crushing her. She turned breathlessly to shush him, pushing a finger up against his lips. She could feel the rough stubble of his beard starting to poke through where it had grown throughout the day. It created a dark, attractive shadow on his face, highlighting his features nicely, making him look older than his twenty years. His black hair was dripping wet as he towered over her underneath the small awning the gateway provided them with. They were both breathing hard, having just narrowly avoided being caught by Adrian and Erik who had been unusually adept at navigating in the wet streets. Elena suspected that Erik had something to do with the pair of them tripping and going down into a large mud puddle, but whatever the case, it had afforded her and Fabien the extra few seconds it took to avoid capture. Fabien straightened himself to fit underneath the awning more fully.

"Elena." He started, "I've got to tell you this now or I fear I will never tell you." He had suddenly grown serious in their close proximity to one another. No. Serious wasn't the right word, Elena realized. He was more resolute as he searched her face for something she wasn't sure he'd find there.

"All right, but you had better say it quickly." She replied, noticing that while her breathing had slowed to its regular pace, her heart had yet to slow its hammering in her chest.

Fabien nodded, "You asked me earlier about why I was interested in your dowry. I didn't answer you because I honestly didn't know why it bothered me to see it being added to. Erik has told me before about it, but…" He stopped speaking, his head whipping up as he listened over his shoulder. Every line of his body was taut as he listened to something only he could hear for a minute. He turned back to her, a faintly regretful smile tugging his lips up at the corners, "We should get you inside." He pushed open the gate behind her.

Elena followed its movement and moved beneath her window, taking hold of the familiar stones as she began her way up. "Aren't you coming?" She asked, turning from where she grasped the edge of her window sill to look down at him. The light from the lantern that hung from the inner gate post gilded the edges of his form, and Elena wondered why she had never fully noticed how much he had grown. When they had first met he had been all elbows and knees and lean muscle. Now, his broad shoulders and chest were powerful beneath the transparent white of his soaked shirt. His arms strained against the fabric as he climbed the wall behind her. When he landed in her room, his sturdy legs caught his weight almost soundlessly with practiced ease. He stood straight and tall before her, head and shoulders over the height of the men of House Trevelyan, and they were not petite fellows. How had she never noticed that before her very eyes Fabien had turned in a man? She found herself to be suddenly shy in his presence as he stood in front of her window, taking up most of the space there. Her room felt small and close as he stepped towards her.

"As I was saying," He began, his voice dropping to a low, husky whisper, "When I heard about your dowry this time, something went off in me. It was like a bell ringing in my ears. I had to stop it from happening. If this had actually worked, who knows where'd you be in a few months' time? I couldn't let that happen."

"So Erik telling you gives you the right to meddle in my affairs?" Elena asked, putting herself on the defensive as he drew near enough for her to see him in the darkened room.

"I thought you were glad to do it? You certainly had enough chances to back out. I never lied about my intentions. I told you whatever you wanted to know whenever you asked. I have never hidden anything from you, and I don't plan to start now." Fabien stopped moving, looking confused in the half-light.

Elena scoffed, "I did not have chances to back out. Since when have you ever allowed me to do so?"

Fabien reached for her, grasping onto her hands, "Lane… Elena, you've always gone along with me. If I had felt as if I were forcing you to do anything then I would have stopped it on my own. Don't you see what I'm trying to tell you? Don't you feel it too?"

She shook her head, not disliking the feel of his rough hands holding onto hers, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Fabien sighed and pulled her close to him, wrapping her into his embrace, one hand cupping the back of her neck, the other holding her close to him, "Dammit all Elena. I told you on the ship. I am yours if you will have me." He waited, searching her face carefully. Slowly, oh so slowly, Elena felt herself nod her head and that was the signal he needed. He bent down and brushed his lips against hers, making her shiver against him. His grasp on her tightened just a little bit lifting her slightly off her feet as he pressed her closer to his warm body. Before he could fully kiss her there was a loud _thump_ outside of her door and then he disappeared, moving so fast the only sign of his passage was her unsteady return to having to put her full weight on her own feet. She darted to the window to see where he had gone and was met only with the clanging of the gate behind him. Her lips tingled pleasantly in remembrance of his tender kiss.

"Lane! Knock knock!" Erik called coming into her room. "Why's it so dark in here?"

Elena turned to face her brother, his cornflower blue eyes were full of knowing as he took in the massive puddles on the floor, her soaked clothes, the open window… "I… forgot to light my lamp. I was busy watching the rain. It's been so long since it's rained."

Erik set his lamp down and came to the window, pulling it closed, "You know, if you stay in those wet clothes you'll catch your death of cold. Go on and change. Mother wants a word." He rolled his eyes, "Apparently there was a mishap at the docks today and your dowry has been compromised so the Duke of Nasty—I mean, Nassus won't even consider you anymore. I know you're terribly upset about not marrying that old geezer, but do put on a brave show for Mother's sake." He waved his fingers at her and left. Elena changed mechanically and went to speak to her mother. Her thoughts filled with the memory of the smell of rain-soaked pine and a first kiss that was cut short.

**Author's Note: Hello my lovelies! I ****hope that you enjoyed this little one-shot about Elena's life in Ostwick with Fabien. I thought it would be nice to get a little bit of backstory on these two together with what I have planned coming up and all. Elena can allude all she wants to her past, but there are some things you just need to know. Ah, first love, first kiss, first actual man to hang around. **

**I PROMISE I am also working on Lyrium Dreams, but I needed a little break. So tomorrow, I am back on it. I've got two more things I need to happen in this chapter and then I will post it! Thank you for your love, patience, and support in all that I write. I love you my dear readers! You have my eternal gratitude!**

**-Danbamina**


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